There is a marked trend toward the higher recording density in the magnetic disk of the magnetic disk unit such as hard disk drive. An effective means of achieving the higher recording density is by decreasing equal to or below 10 nm the flying height of the magnetic head above the magnetic disk.
One way to achieve the extremely small flying height equal to or below 10 nm is by allowing the slider of the magnetic head to come into contact with the surface of the magnetic disk, thereby establishing the reference position, and then allowing the magnetic head to float as far as the flying height equal to or below 10 nm, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-135501 (“Patent Document 1”).
The extremely small flying height equal to or below 10 nm poses serious problems in the case of the magnetic disk having a lubricating layer formed thereon. The problems involve the sticking to the magnetic head of the lubricant constituting the lubricating layer, the movement of the lubricant resulting from pressure between the magnetic head and the magnetic disk, and the inability of the lubricant to return to its original position after its movement on the surface of the magnetic disk.
In order to avoid the foregoing problems while achieving the flying height equal to or below 10 nm, it is necessary that the lubricating layer on the magnetic disk should have mutually contradictory characteristics—adhesion to the magnetic head, adequate flowability on the surface of the magnetic disk, and sufficient binding to the surface of the magnetic disk.
Unfortunately, any of conventional lubricating layers merely satisfies part of these requirements for adhesion, flowability, and binding. There exists no magnetic disk whose lubricating layer possess all of such characteristics.